Malaysian Airlines missing flight MH370: Live Report

05:15 GMT - Sympathy - My colleague Julia Zappei in Kuala Lumpur says the Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has tweeted " My thoughts and prayers are with the family members of flight #MH370. I've asked all measures possible to be taken."

05:13 GMT - Never appeared - A Vietnam government statement on its official website quoting a ministry of defence official says the plane was meant to transfer to Ho Chi Minh City air traffic control at 1722 GMT but never appeared.

The statement goes on to say that Vietnam's Ministry of Defence has launched rescue efforts to find the plane, working in coordination with Malaysian and Chinese officials.

05:03 GMT - WELCOME TO AFP'S LIVE REPORT on a Malaysia Airlines flight carrying 239 people from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing which went missing early Saturday.

The airline said flight MH370 disappeared at 2:40 am local time (1840 GMT Friday), about two hours after leaving Kuala Lumpur International Airport. It had been due to arrive in Beijing at 6:30 am local time (2230 GMT Friday).

A statement posted on the official Vietnamese government website said the flight disappeared in Vietnamese airspace.